Armin Strom complicates and downsizes with the Dual Time GMT Resonance First Edition
Borna Bošnjak- With a 39mm white gold case, the Dual Time GMT Resonance is Armin Strom’s smallest resonance watch to date.
- Sporting vertically arranged going trains, the new ARF22 calibre puts the brand’s patented resonance solution on full display.
- This First Edition model is limited to 25 pieces, and priced at US$120,700.
If you think of the most impressive complications one can put in a watch, you’re likely thinking about repeaters, tourbillons, and perpetual calendars, with perhaps a split-seconds chronograph thrown into the mix somewhere. Without diminishing the difficulty in executing those complications, they are becoming more and more commonplace, especially when it comes to affordable tourbillons. One complication that I’m guessing will not be making its way into AliExpress specials any time soon is resonance, which is as much of a natural phenomenon as a complication in itself. Though it warrants an entire article by itself, resonance could be quickly described as the synchronisation of two balance wheels placed close together, affecting each other’s frequencies and regulating each other for improved chronometric performance. Though more watchmakers have begun to explore it, the list remains short. Armin Strom is one of those select few, going a step further by creating and patenting a unique system that keeps the balance wheels in check, now implementing the clutch spring mechanism in the new Dual Time GMT Resonance. Taking design cues from the huge Dual Time Resonance from its Masterpiece collection, Armin Strom thought it sensible to create a downsized variant, given that the watch already featured two independent escapements and going trains – essentially two synchronised movements in a single watch.
No better place to start breaking down the Dual Time GMT Resonance than the newly developed Calibre ARF22. This is the 18th in-house movement from Armin Strom, and while it is new, it incorporates some previously seen features from other models, though in a novel way. Let’s delve further into the idea of resonance, and how it could be achieved in a watch. The most common (liberally speaking) way of creating a resonance watch is by connecting the two independent movements with a differential that averages the oscillations of the synchronised balance wheels, leading to improved performance. While F.P. Journe famously managed to create a watch exploiting the phenomenon without connecting the two balance wheels with the Chronomètre à Résonance, Armin Strom came up with a different solution.
Using the aforementioned clutch spring, Armin Strom connects it to the stud of each individual balance spring, with the balances beating 180 degrees out of phase, which essentially means that they turn in exactly the opposite direction. When the movement begins to run, it takes the two balance wheels some time to start beating with the correct offset, but with each movement of an individual hairspring, an impulse is sent down the length of the clutch spring, which affects the opposite floating hairspring stud and in turn its oscillation. Where the Armin Strom system triumphs over F.P. Journe’s is in (relative) ease of regulation. In the Journe resonance system, the balances must not deviate more than five seconds per day from each other, while the Armin Strom is degrees of magnitude less sensitive than that.
A quick word on some basic specs: each movement can be independently adjusted, with the dual skeletonised barrels both wound by the crown at 4 o’clock. The power reserve is 42 hours, with the two balances beating at 3.5Hz. With one type of nerdy out of the way, we also need to talk finishing, as it’s another area where Armin Strom shines. Unfortunately, I’ve only got the renders to look at at the moment, though that should not be too much of an issue given the brand’s track record – if you don’t believe me, @horomariobro’s macro lens does not lie. The Dual Time GMT Resonance features the full complement of hand-finishing, including hand-polished screwheads and bevels of the bridges, wheels, and countersinks; feathery côtes de Genève; engraving; and black polishing of its flat steel surfaces.
Let’s have a closer overall look at the dial, then. With vertically arranged going trains, Armin Strom was able to make a more compact movement, with the polished cocks of the individual balance wheels stemming from the centre, rather than the sides. While there’s less dial real estate, you’ll actually see more thanks to the aforementioned ratchet at the traditional 6 o’clock. Time-telling is taken care of by two sub-dials with exposed, polished screws and faceted sword hands, sporting an azurage finish to their outers with a grained blue inner. Also neatly integrated is the day/night indicator; essential considering the sub-dials can be set independently to track a different time zone, the indicators themselves naturally finished to a high standard with graining and engraving.
In addition to the two balance wheels oscillating at the top, the ratchet wheel has also been skeletonised, making for a greater spectacle when the watch is being wound. The skeletonised system is nestled beneath and in between the two sub-dials, in itself reworked from a classic click mechanism for improved energy transfer and reduced friction. The spring connects to the axis of the pinion pushing down the top element onto the Breguet-toothed bottom gear affixed to the mainplate.
The wearing experience is where the Dual Time GMT Resonance will differ most, bridging the gap between Armin Strom’s existing resonance models and the Masterpiece Dual Time Resonance. In fact, its 39mm diameter and supreme 9.05mm thickness are by far the most compact measurements for an Armin Strom resonance piece, and also the most subtle of cases. The signature protruding “chin” has been reduced to a minimum without sacrificing a unique look for the brand, a design feature I was personally never really too fond of. With the slimming of the case, Armin Strom has also more broadly used a brushed finish – don’t worry though – it’s still 18k white gold we’re talking about, making this watch far from casual.
Not only is it a much more wearable variant of one of the brand’s greatest accomplishments, the Dual Time GMT Resonance is set to be decidedly more affordable, too. Rather than the CHF 200,000 price tag of its precious metal predecessors, Armin Strom’s latest and greatest will retail for nearly half that. While this initial variant is one of Armin Strom’s First Edition models, I have no doubts there are more case materials and dial variants already in the works.
Armin Strom Dual Time GMT Resonance First Edition pricing & availability
The Armin Strom Dual Time GMT Resonance First Edition is a limited edition of 25 pieces. Price: US$120,700, CHF 115,000
| Brand | Armin Strom |
| Model | Dual Time GMT Resonance First Edition |
| Reference | WG24-DT.90 |
| Case Dimensions | 39mm (D) x 9.05mm (T) |
| Case Material | 18k white gold |
| Water Resistance | 50 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire front and back |
| Dial | Sky blue sub-dials, openworked |
| Strap | Matte grey alligator and light grey alligator, 18k pin buckle |
| Movement | ARF22, in-house, manual winding, two regulators with resonance clutch spring |
| Power Reserve | 42 hours |
| Functions | Two displays of hours, minutes, day/night indicator |
| Availability | Limited edition of 25 pieces |
| Price | US$120,700 CHF 115,000 |